PADDOCK PROBLEMS l DEALING WITH TOXIC PLANTS
There is much to look forward to in the spring and summer —longer days, more grass growth and more regular turnout for equines. However, it is also the time of year when toxic plants can make an unwelcome appearance in paddocks, as Lottie Morgan explains
WITH SPRING ON the horizon, fields drying out and fresh grass pushing through, many owners are looking forward to being able to turn out horses who may have been stabled more than they would wish over this exceptionally wet winter. However, grass isn’t the only plant to enjoy a growth spurt at this time of year. In the spring it is vital that owners keep an eye out for the poisonous plants which may have invaded their pasture.
Many of these poisonous plants have repellent factors and horses naturally avoid eating them. However, that repellent factor may be lost when they are dried, making some plants more dangerous in hay than in the pasture.
“If you think that your horse has ingested a poisonous plant, call your vet right away. Also try to identify what it is that the horse may have eaten, as this will help the vet to determine the best treatment,” advises Dr Dominique Votion, associate professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Liège.
Prevention is better than cure
In the short term, the most effective way to get rid of invasive plant species like those listed above is to manually dig them up, but it is important to get the timing right.
“Try to do it as early in the season as possible when the plants are young, the root structure is small and the ground is soft,” says Amy Trewick, an ecologist at Elms Ecology. “However, this isn’t a long-term solution — and it isn’t effective for weeds like creeping buttercups that have such a wide spread. To effectively tackle poisonous plants you need to l
